Everything Was Beautiful And Nothing Hurt
by tutyfruity323
Summary: Rachel expects a simple plane ride home, and a peaceful, quiet holiday with her fathers and Kurt. What she gets is much, much more. Will eventually be NC-17.
1. Chapter 1

Rachel squealed with excitement and clapped her petite hands together when she finally finished the process of booking her flight from New York City to Lima, Ohio. It had been nearly a year since she had been home, much to her dismay. But with NYADA keeping her so busy, and financially drained, she just hadn't had the time or the funds to make it home. Sure, she Skyped with her fathers every week, and even Skyped with Kurt at least once a month. But it was nothing like actually _being _with her fathers and closest friend.

The best part of this little ordeal was that no one knew she was coming. She had thoroughly convinced her fathers that there was no convenient way for her to visit them for the holidays, which had been an excruciating conversation for all parties involved, but they eventually relented with a disappointed sigh.

As Rachel crawled into bed for the night, a content sigh escaped her full lips. She couldn't wait to see the stunned expressions of her fathers' faces when she walked through their front door the next afternoon. She couldn't wait to see Kurt, to hug him tight around his thin waist and share all kinds of gossip with him. But more than anything, Rachel couldn't wait to walk through the halls of McKinley High School and see the new Glee Club. She had already prepared a selection for her to sing for them, with handouts detailing her impending fame on Broadway, of course. And as Rachel allowed sleep to overtake her consciousness, butterflies and hurricanes of excitement flurried through her stomach.

**_The next day…_**

Rachel's eyes snapped open with the sound of her alarm clock. Today was the day! She was going home for the first time in a year. She flung herself out of bed and into the foot-holes of her elliptical, blasting Barbara in her ears as her strong legs began moving. Forty-five minutes later, she found herself brushing her teeth and hopping into the shower to begin the journey of her day. Naturally, her bags had been packed for a week, so all she had to do was make herself presentable and hit the road. After applying mascara, and a hint of blush to her soft cheeks, she was ready to go.

Rachel easily hailed a cab and ordered the driver to JFK Airport, to which she received a not-so-friendly eye-roll. But nothing could spoil her mood today, because she was going home, and she was going to see the kind eyes of her fathers, and soak in their comforting scents as she hugged them.

Two hours later, Rachel found herself at her gate, awaiting departure. Her leg jumped up and down in haste, not even trying to hide the excitement she felt. Little did she know, someone was watching her intently from across the terminal: a certain blonde-haired, hazel-eyed girl name Quinn Fabray.


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel quickly became aware of the eyes trained upon her. Her head swiveled around, locking with hazel orbs, making each girl's respiratory functions rather ragged. For a moment, they only stared at each other, neither of them knowing how to react. And then, without warning, Quinn smiled at Rachel, bringing her hand up to wiggle her fingers in a wave. Quinn mouthed a soft _hi_ at her. The gesture was… sweet? Pleasant?

Rachel's jaw fell to the floor. She had expected nothing less than a, "_What are you doing here, Manhands?"_ Instead, she received a _wave._ And a _smile._ Was this really happening? Had Quinn Freaking Fabray been cleansed of her disgust towards Rachel in a mere matter of months? Was this when the zombie apocalypse was supposed to intervene? _What_ was going _on_?

As the thoughts pin-balled throughout Rachel's mind, Quinn slowly and rather cautiously approached Rachel from across the room, a sheepish smile on her full lips.

"Hi, Rachel," Came the husky voice of Quinn.

"Hello, Quinn."

There was an awkward pause between the two college girls, as neither one of them knew what to say next. Quinn was looking at Rachel with soft eyes, something that the diva had never before observed. Nonetheless, whether cold and disgusted, or warm and smoldering, Rachel was lost, lost in those butterscotch eyes that never failed to be breathtaking.

Rachel's eyes grazed over Quinn's appearance. She was sporting a yellow sundress, falling just above her thighs, which were donned with tights due to low temperatures and rather intense winds. A thick, yet stylish, overcoat was slung precariously over Quinn's left arm. Her blonde locks were cascading gently over her smooth, toned shoulders, and a small smile was playing at the corner of full, red lips. Quinn was breathtaking.

Quietly, Quinn cleared her throat, causing Rachel's mouth to snap shut, seeing as it had fallen open while she was ogling one Miss Quinn Fabray. Rachel stuttered in her recovery of the moment.

"I- um- I… Hi." Rachel stated lamely.

"Hello, again." Quinn looked on with amused eyes. She had never seen Rachel act like this before, all coy and bashful. She mentally noted that it was kind of cute. "May I sit with you?"

"Y-Yes, of course!" Rachel stammered, a little too enthused. Quinn sat down, crossing her legs over one another. "So what brings you to New York City?"

"Well, I haven't been here since Nationals, so I decided to take a weekend-trip up from Yale. At least, that's what I was planning until Santana called me in a panic. She claims she and Brittany "need some space"." At this new information, Rachel's eyes went wide with shock.

"Santana and Brittany? Needing space? What happened?" Rachel asked in earnest.

"I don't know yet." Quinn replied." Santana wouldn't tell me what was going on. All I know is she's more than a little torn up about it. I agreed to go home for the holidays, so she doesn't get too lonely without Brittany. I'll be crashing at Santana's... There's no way in hell I'm staying two weeks with my parents."

Before Rachel could respond, the overly-chipper voice of a flight attendant filled their ears. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! Flight 1204 to Cincinnati, Ohio is now prepared for boarding. Please take out your boarding passes and line up behind sign A in an orderly fashion. Thank you and we look forward to flying with you today."

Rachel and Quinn grabbed their things in haste, securing a place near the front of the line.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you on the plane? I've never really been a fan of flying." Quinn admitted with a sheepish grin.

_Whoa, _Rachel thought… _Quinn wants to sit with me? This is certainly going to be an interesting flight._


	3. Chapter 3

Quinn couldn't believe her luck. After all, she had come to New York City to find Rachel, but when Santana called, she was forced to abandon those plans. Quinn looked over at the small diva seated next to her and smiled warmly. Rachel countered with a brilliant smile.

"So, Rach, how have you been?" Quinn asked. Rachel stared at her, with her bottom lip tucked snuggly underneath her teeth, at a loss for words. Quinn's brow furrowed at the sight. Rachel wasn't answering her. She was just staring at Quinn with the most curious expression in her eyes. "Rachel? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Y-you called me Rach. You've never called me Rach before. I mean, I would expect Manhands or dwarf, considering those were some of your more common insults for me in high school, which didn't phase me in the slightest, but…" Rachel was rambling. She knew she was rambling, but she couldn't seem to make herself stop. Quinn had always had this effect on her. Rachel always blamed it on those hazel, butterscotch eyes that probed so deeply with a single glance.

"Rachel, I've discovered a lot about myself during my time at Yale. One of those being how awful and sadistic I was to you in those four years of high school we spent together. And I want- I want to apologize for that. I want to apologize for the slushie facials, the insults, the _drama_… all of it. I am sincerely and painfully sorry for the way I treated you. And I hope you'll forgive me." Quinn stared at her fidgeting hands, awaiting a reply.

"Quinn, look at me." Rachel spoke softly. When she wouldn't bring her eyes up, Rachel's hand reached out and covered the back of Quinn's palm, very slightly caressing the soft skin with the underside of her thumb. Finally, after several moments, hazel locked with honey-brown. Both girls had tears threatening to overflow in their eyes. "I forgive you. I forgive you one hundred times over. And you know why? Because I'm not the same person I was either. I don't know what you've gone through since starting college, but I know what my experiences have been, and I know that not all of them have been particularly enjoyable." Quinn sniffled in response.

Rachel was looking intently into the blonde's eyes, searching for any sign of relief at her words. But she just found sadness. Deep, aching sadness. Quinn's eyes were smoldering, burning with some sort of hidden secret.

"Quinn, one of my innate abilities has always been reading people. And I can see that something is troubling you. But I can also see that you're not ready to talk about it just yet. So I shall just say this: If ever there is a time when you need someone, I'll always be here."

"Thank you." Quinn whispered. "That really means a lot to me, Rachel. And I, of course, extend the same courtesy to you… I hope this means that we can be friends." Rachel smiled.

"I'd like that very much." For the briefest of moments, Rachel rested her head on Quinn's shoulder. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but it ignited a fiery urgency within the blonde, an urgency to touch Rachel, to hold her, be as close to her as was physically possible. And before Quinn could register what she was doing, her lips were on Rachel's deliciously warm and soft cheek.


End file.
